I'm needing mom input about transitioning Maggie from pureed foods to all table foods. She has been eating table foods for a few weeks now (including bites of most things we eat), but I'm noticing that she is wanting the pureed stuff less and less. Therefore, here is my delima. I want to offer her well-rounded meals at each feeding, but I feel like I need some guidance. I will look through my "Super Baby Food" book for help, but wanted to put this question out there for feedback from all my mom friends or anyone that has been around children. We do lots of cut up fruit and crackers, yogurt, and cheese, some meat. I'm needing some more creativity here, though! I did buy fresh brocolli and cauliflower to steam for her this week, so we'll see how that goes, Once she turns a year, we'll do peanut butter sandwiches. I want to start giving her Tofu chunks.
And as a disclaimer, I really still want to continue to make her food as much as possible and I want to be healthy. I'm not super into canned meats or veggies, at least not on a regular basis.
So, what does/did a "baby menu" look like for your little one?
Thanks in advance for helping me!
Great topic! I can't wait to see what people write here. I'm having the same dilemma with Jake. And I'm finding that too much cheese or yogurt is definately not good on his tummy. Have you tried small pieces of pasta yet? One of my friends suggested steamed carrots too.
ReplyDeleteWell, for a baby Maggie's age, what you're doing sounds pretty well rounded, not all of them will eat so many different things (I'm pretty sure there were several months where Gabe lived on fruit and Cheerios...) As far as changing it up for the sake of Maggie not getting bored, a favorite of both of the boys was tortillas with cheese melted inside and cut up into baby friendly pieces (I refrain from calling this a quesadilla because I didn't fry the tortilla, it made it to hard for them)....I guess you are probably waiting until next month to do eggs, but when you can, they are a wonderful option in moderation, and you can do so many things with them...omlettes are ever popular at my house and are a good way to sneak other things in on them :) A messy but fun option for both the boys was different pastas offered with different sauces to dip in....the possibilities are endless, really, and with different shapes/colors of pasta, it keeps it interesting for them. I'm sure, as I think about it, I'll come up with lots more things, I do lots of feeding of children, so I may come back and comment more :) I am interested in what other people have to say too, because there are always ways to improve, and since I'll be doing it again soon with Shiloh.....
ReplyDeleteI feed Zoe whatever she wants. :) Bite sized pieces and she is good to go. I don't feed her many fresh veggies, because they can choke very easily, but I do give her the jar veggies regularly. I also buy baby finger foods by Beech Nut. Zoe loves the apple chunks! :) I am way way too busy to make any baby food or anything like that. I just buy it, or give her what we are having, because she really would rather have "big people food" that her own. With Angelina (now 5 yrs.) and with Zoe (now 1 yr.) I always used my instincts, and did things *my* way not my doctor's way. LOL. I normally never followed the instructions of what they should be doing either. Mother's instinct is the best thing in my opinion. Zoe was getting rice cereal around 2 months because she was constantly starving. My doctor didn't OK it nor did I ask. Same with Angelina.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you're doing a great job, though Suz! :) I rarely give Zoe baby food anymore. She would rather eat what I am having, and tonight it was pizza and garlic knots from a new pizzeria by us.
Best advice I can give you... keep doing what you're doing! Mags will "tell" you if she doesn't like something. :)
This is a great topic! We gave Hudson tofu the other day and he just stuck his tongue out and would spit it on the floor (the only food he has done this with). Right now I'm still doing the pureed food, but gradually making more chunks. He does some table food, but he still doesn't do any kind of spices. We have already done peanut butter sandwiches (a little early). I just thin the peanut butter with some milk and put a very thin layer on the bread. This is one of his ALL TIME favorites. That's all that I can think of for now (plus the computer is about to die). More later
ReplyDeletewow suz, it is actually hard for me to remember everything owie ate at mag's age...even though it was only a year ago! it is SO crazy how owen will eat something and it be his favorite for WEEKS and then all the sudden one day not want it, ever again it seems ;)
ReplyDeletei do remember around that age his favorite was homemade guacamole, and i started to mix it with cut up pieces of boiled chicken, and he loved it! he also had a thing for meatballs too, perfect consistency and still getting protein. cut up fruit was and always will be his favorite food, i think. so that is great that they love fruit! right now, the kiddo is *picky*. yogurt, cheese, eggs, chicken, grilled cheese, mac and cheese, and fruit are his staples...hopefully soon he will stop rejecting our dinner foods, because i don't want to turn into a short-order cook! ha!
oh, check this. you prob. already heard of it, but in case you haven't, Jessica Seinfeld has written a book called Deceptively Delicious where she hides pureed veggies in foods (cauliflower in mac and cheese, applesauce in muffins, beets and sweet potatoes in other things, etc.) to get her kids the nutrition they would lack otherwise...i think it is a wonderful idea. I perused the book at a friend's house and there are great recipes in there. I started making my own concoctions for owen, like blending baby food sweet potatoes into his yogurt/banana smoothie, sounds gross, but he doesn't notice!
also, my doc told me to get polyvisol liquid baby vitamins with iron (walmart) to supplement owen's nutrition since he isn't eating the greatest these days. he has actually been on them for over a year...maybe something to look into/ask your pedia. about? just a thought.
good luck!
http://www.amazon.com/Deceptively-Delicious-Simple-Secrets-Eating/dp/0061251348/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-8264475-6537211?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1194576078&sr=8-1
At her age, my girls liked avocado chunks, cheese cubes, of course banana's in small slices, you can make a baked potato and mash it up so that it's chunky, and add maybe some cheese or light butter for a dinner. I'll have to sit and think of more, but I really recommend the avocado all mine loved it.
ReplyDeleteGood idea about the baby vitamins. E, as you know, was and still is a hugely picky eater and this made me feel better knowing that she wasn't completely nutrient-deprived. Don't waste $$ on the name brand though - Target brand is just fine.
ReplyDeleteOkay, so first, I would say that it's so fine that she's not completely out of "baby" food yet. I think I kept buying certain veggies that were baby food/making it to keep Elise eating it and gradually she moved on to table food. It's better to get the nutrients than not at all - who cares what form! A mom in our courtyard told me the other day her ped said her daughter shouldn't be on baby food past 1 and while that may be true, it's not going to hurt Maggie. Just like anything else, she's going to take her time transitioning things. I would just offer her different things and see what she thinks. I am also having a hard time remembering what Elise was eating back then -- I had good success with the boca products (you will have to cut small).
Try not to let it get you too stressed out -- which I know is hard because you are in a new phase and want it to work out quickly - but you are doing a great job and she'll be champ in no time
xoxox
oh, i have no idea what snacks you give her - but purely o's are good, kamut puffs, and is she eating oatmeal? you could stir in fruit with that. i should know that, but i can't remember. it's late. :)
ReplyDeleteHey! Me again. :) I was trying to think what Zoe is eating right now... since she is a *little* ahead of Mags when it comes to eating, I have it fresh in my mind. I can barely remember 5 years ago when Angelina was eating solids. LOL.
ReplyDeleteThings Zoe likes: Gerber puffs.
She LOVES them, and they are better than cheerios, because they melt in their mouths, so there really isn't too much worry about choking. Target sells them. They are in the same isle as the rice cereal and baby food.
She LOVES Nature's Best Cheese crackers! I have to break them up. She loves Ritz Crackers, Wagon Wheels, cut up meat... any kind, pizza, cheese, bread, oatmeal, peanut butter, occasional ice cream, Vit D milk, rice cereal w/ baby food fruit mixed in, spaghetti, pancakes, WAFFLES (her fav), French Fries (which she gets VERY rarely), tomatoes, Eggs! She loves eggs! ... in fact... come to think of it... I don't think there is anything that she won't eat! LOL. I just let her have whatever she wants. That is what I did with Angelina, and she now eats everything and is definitely not picky! I also will not cook her anything else unless the food is spicy. Talking about Angelina, not Zoe. :) I have learned that she will eat it if I don't make anything else, and sometimes she doesn't eat (Which I hate), but it's a fact of life! My pediatrician says it's not big deal... teaches them that they have to eat what's made for them. I don't want to be spending all night in the kitchen. LOL. :) Zoe also doesn't seem to mind any spices on the food she eats. So, she gets whatever we eat. Spices and all... unless, of course it's really spicy or something. :)
p.s. I need some new Mags pics...and bad!
ReplyDeletexoxo
avacados were always a good thing for O. super healthy...easy & he actually liked them.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you are doing the right thing! You have a lot of good advice here that I agree with. One thought to make things easy is to just take some of the food you are already making for your dinner and separate it without adding any spices or extras. That way she is getting the variety that you are. Sounds like you could use a moms group! We miss you!
ReplyDeleteLadies!! Thanks for all the advice. We do lots of avocado with her, though it's hit or miss, forgot to mention that. She LOVES tomatoes, too. And I recently mashed up tofu in her pureed stuff and she liked it much better. Must be the consistency thing.
ReplyDeletePasta, tortillas and cheese, eggs, snacky things. All great suggsetions!
Heth, thanks for the vitamin thoughts; my girlfriend Kathryn has done those with her daughter since the beginning, so might be something to look into to. And yes, have heard of the JS book; sounds great! La, you should check it, too. :)
Shey, what are Wagon Wheels? A type of cracker?
You all gave such great feedback!! I totally appreciate all the thought that went into these responses.